The route that gives Paraguay the specific treatment the most overlooked country in South America deserves: two days in Asunción for the Palacio de los López (the 1857 government palace on the bay — the specific Paraguayan architecture built with the ambition of a continental power that the War of the Triple Alliance (1864-1870) subsequently reduced to the landlocked country with 60% of its male population dead) and the Mercado Cuatro (the chaotic working market that gives the sopa paraguaya (the cornbread with the cheese and the onion — one of the very few national dishes to be named “soup” without containing any liquid) and the tereré (the cold mate drunk with the medicinal herbs — the Paraguayan adaptation of the Argentine hot mate to the subtropical heat)), three days at the Jesuit-Guaraní Missions (the UNESCO missions that the Jesuits built with the Guaraní people between 1609 and their expulsion in 1767 — the Trinidad and Jesús ruins give the specific reducciones architecture, the sandstone blocks visible at the mission complex scale that the Mission film approximates and that the physical site exceeds), and two days in the Pantanal (the southern edge of the world’s largest tropical wetland — the caiman, the capybara, the jabiru stork visible in the accessible Paraguayan section that gives the Pantanal at 30% of the Brazil tourist price).
Reading time: 10 minutes | Last updated: 2026
Paraguay has no ocean coastline, no major mountain range, and no famous ruins. It has the most intact Guaraní culture in South America (90% of the population speaks Guaraní — the indigenous language given equal status with Spanish), the most significant Jesuit mission ruins after the Argentine San Ignacio Miní, and the specific quality of the country that has not been indexed by the travel market and that gives the encounter with South America before the encounter has been mediated by the infrastructure the travel market builds around it.
Before You Leave
Getting there: No direct flights from the UK. Fly London-Buenos Aires or London-São Paulo then connect to Asunción (TAM, LATAM — 2 hours from Buenos Aires, 2.5 hours from São Paulo). Total: 15-18 hours. UK citizens: Paraguay visa-free 90 days.
Currency: Paraguayan Guaraní (PYG). 1 GBP ≈ 7,800 PYG (2025). Paraguay is one of the cheapest countries in South America — mid-range daily budget: PYG 300,000-600,000 / £38-77.
The Route
Asunción (2 nights) → Encarnación base for Jesuit Missions (3 nights, 4 hours by bus) → Pantanal / Concepción area (2 nights, 5 hours north from Asunción)
DAYS 1-2 — Asunción
Day 1: The Palacio de los López and the Historic Centre
The Palacio de los López:
The Palacio de los López (the government palace on the Bahía de Asunción — the 1857 building constructed during the presidency of Carlos Antonio López, the father of the Francisco Solano López who led Paraguay into the War of the Triple Alliance):
The specific Palacio context: when Francisco Solano López declared war simultaneously on Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay in 1864, Paraguay had 450,000 people. When the war ended in 1870, Paraguay had 170,000, of whom 28,000 were adult males. The palace is the physical expression of the ambition that the war destroyed.
Guided tours when available: free.
The Mercado Cuatro:
The Mercado 4 (the central Asunción market — the four blocks of stalls selling the sopa paraguaya (the cornbread at PYG 5,000-10,000 / £0.64-1.28), the chipá (the cheese bread made from cassava flour, the specific Paraguayan bakery product, PYG 1,000-2,000 / £0.13-0.26 each), and the tereré herbs (the burrito, the mint, the cedrón — the specific Paraguayan herb market)):
Day 2: The Palacio de Gobierno and the Panteón Nacional
The Panteón Nacional:
The Panteón Nacional de los Héroes (the mausoleum of the Paraguayan heroes — the neoclassical rotunda, the tombs of the presidents and the war dead, the eternal flame):
Free.
The Manzana de la Rivera (the cultural centre in the block of restored colonial houses — the oldest surviving buildings in Asunción (18th century), the museum of Asunción’s history):
Free.
DAYS 3-5 — The Jesuit Missions
The Trinidad:
The Jesuit Mission of La Santísima Trinidad de Paraná (the UNESCO mission 25km north of Encarnación — the most complete surviving Jesuit-Guaraní mission, the church (the 1706 sandstone church, the central nave, the columns, the Guaraní-carved decorative motifs visible on the stonework), the colegio (the school-residence), and the workshops):
At 6am: the mission before the tourist groups from Encarnación arrive at 9am. The Trinidad in the first light, the birds audible in the church ruins, the specific absence of mediation between the visitor and the 18th-century stonework.
Entry: PYG 80,000 / £10.26.
The Jesús:
The Jesús Mission (the UNESCO mission 12km from Trinidad — the unfinished church (the church begun in the 1750s and abandoned unfinished at the Jesuit expulsion in 1767, the three towers that were never given their cupolas visible at the facade, the specific architectural document of the interrupted project)):
Entry: PYG 80,000 / £10.26.
The combined ticket (Trinidad + Jesús): PYG 130,000 / £16.67.
The Guaraní cultural context:
The specific Jesuit-Guaraní mission history: the Jesuits arrived in the Río de la Plata region in 1609 and established the reducciones (the reduction missions) where the Guaraní people were gathered, converted, and taught the European crafts (the music, the carpentry, the stone carving) alongside the Catholic faith. At their peak the 30 missions had 150,000 Guaraní residents. The Jesuit expulsion of 1767 (Pope Clement XIV’s suppression of the Society of Jesus) ended the missions within a decade. The ruins are what the 150-year project left.
DAYS 6-7 — The Paraguayan Pantanal
The Pantanal Approach (Concepción):
The Concepción (the Paraguayan river city on the Paraguay River, 5 hours north of Asunción by bus — the gateway to the Chaco and the Pantanal edge):
The Río Paraguay boat (the cargo and passenger boat from the Concepción port — the 2-day river journey north to the Pantanal edge, the caiman visible from the boat deck at the river’s edge, the capybara visible at the bank):
The day tour (the more accessible option — the guided 4WD tour from the Concepción to the Pantanal edge estancias): PYG 400,000-800,000 / £51.28-102.56 per person for the day.
The wildlife:
The yacaré caiman (Caiman yacare — the Pantanal species, the specific South American crocodilian visible in the shallow water from the boat or the 4WD bank): the most accessible reptile sighting available anywhere in South America — the caiman visible in large numbers from the Paraguayan river bank throughout the year.
What It Costs
| Category | Budget | Mid-Range |
|---|---|---|
| Return flights (UK via Buenos Aires) | £500-850 | £700-1,100 |
| 7 nights accommodation | £90-210 | £210-490 |
| Food (7 days — very affordable) | £25-60 | £60-150 |
| Buses (Asunción-Encarnación-Concepción) | £20-35 | £20-35 |
| Jesuit mission entries | £17 | £17 |
| Pantanal day tour | £51-103 | £77-154 |
| Total | £703-1,275 | £1,084-1,946 |
Paraguay is the cheapest 7-day South America itinerary in this library by daily cost. The flight cost dominates because the country itself costs almost nothing once arrived.
